Adjustable mill unit



Dw 6- 'E. G. EPPENBACH ET AL 2,412,677

ADJUSTABLE MILL UNIT Filed March 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY 1946- E. G. EPPENBACH ETAL 2,412,677

ADJUSTABLE MILL UNIT Filed March 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 17, 1946 ADJUSTABLE MILL UNIT Edwin G. Eppenbach, Manhasset, and Henry Imshaug, Flushing, N. Y.; said Imshaug assignor to said Eppenbach Application March 1, 1944, Serial No. 524,823

4 Claims. (Cl. 241-259) This invention relates generally to mills of devices for grinding, milling and mixing of material, such as is used in the production of col loidal compounds, and especially to the adjustment features of the mill units employed in such devices.

The present invention is a continuation in part of our co-pending application Serial No. 437,979, filed July '7, 1942, for Vertical mill, and its major object is to provide simple, effective and accura'tely operable means whereby the elements of mill units may be precisely adjusted relative to one another, and wherein are provided readily visible means for calibrating such adjustment and other means for locking the adjusting means in the desired position.

While the adjustment of mill elements relative to one another is nothing new in the art, this operation becomes exceedingly important in devices where material of fine texture is to be prepared, and especially when material which is to be processed is intended to be milled to a certain fineness in order to bring it to a state of colloidal suspension within a liquid carrier.

In such devices it becomes imperative that the adjustment of the mill elements to be very accurate, and that the amount of such adjustment becomes readily perceivable to the operator from without the device so as tofacilitate accurate readjustments as may be required due to either the desire to increase the fineness of the prodnot, or to compensate for the wear of the mill elements in the course of continuous operation of the device.

The foregoing important objects and advantages will become more fully understood from the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 illustrates an elevation of a device employing adjustable mill elements, shown partially in section;

, Fig. 2 illustrates an enlarged partial detail view of the grinding and milling mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a similar illustration of a modified form of the grinding and milling arrangement;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view in vertical cross section of the mill unit and its adjusting means; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the adjusting nut thereof.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, numeral denotes the base of the device, which is preferably placed upon the floor, but which may be swung to any desired position and secured in that position by bolts or other means not shown in the drawings. Within base 0 there is suspended a motive source H, such as an electric motor, with a. vertical shaft I2 extending up wards. The motor is suspended from the em closed bottom structure [3 of a frame M, which latter rests upon base Ill. The center of frame bottom #3 is apertured at I5, which aperture is covered by a drip guard [6. Structure I3 and drip guard I6 effectively prevent liquid or moisture from entering the base and damaging the motor.

Secured to and supported by frame i4 is a combination journaling and adjusting member l7, consisting of a hub structure IS, with which is associated a threaded adjustable cup l9, accommodating a shaft bearing 20. Cup l9 may be set in its adjusted position in respect to hub [8 by set screws 2!. Within hub I8 is lodged and guided a sleeve 22, which is threaded externally at 23 and is engaged by an internally threaded and calibrated index ring 24, by means of which ring sleeve 22 may be adjusted in upward or downward directions. Sleeve 22 may be held in its adjusted position by means of set screw 25 engaging ring 24.

Within sleeve 22 and j'ournaled in bearings 20 is rotor shaft 26. The latter is joined with shaft l2 of motor II by means of coupling 21, located within frame l4. Secured to shaft 26 is rotor 28, forming a part of the grinder or mill unit of the device. Rotor 28 is exchangeable. The stator of the mill is indicated at 29 and also comprises an exchangeable member or insert, which is supported by the broadened upper or flanged end 38 of sleeve 22, and which broadened end forms the bottom of the mill casing, which houses the grinder unit. It will be seen that the casing is provided with a water jacket 3|, whereby the casing, and therefore the grinder unit, may be readily cooled or held at any desired temperature required for the matter to be treated within the device.

Above jacket 3| is a jacketed top member 32, held together with flange 30 of sleeve 22 by means of spacer bolts 33. Supported by upper jacket structure 32 is a hopper 34, provided with a cover 35, which may be completely closed if so desired. By means of the jacket in member 32 the contents of the hopper may be kept at any desired temperature. The top of the hopper is provided with an inlet 36 into which is removably placed the end of the goose neck 31 forming the upper portion of conduit 38, joined at its lower end with outlet pipe 39. v The latter is connected at 40 with the grinder unit, and its discharge is controlled which is mounted hopper 34.

3 This valve may be so placed that it either provides a direct discharge from the grinder unit through its hollow structure 42, or that it closes outlet pipe 39 to provide circulation of the matter being milled through pipe 38 to the top of hopper 34 and back ino the grinder.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, these detail figures illustrate'two forms of the grinding unit. In Fig. 2 shaft 26 is provided with a reduced portion 43, and a threaded end 44, with which two portions one-piece rotor 28 is associated. Stator 29 comprises also a one-piece structure and is supported by the upper flanged end 30. of adjustable sleeve 22.

Fig. 3 illustrates a somewhat modified form of the mill elements. In that figure shaft 26 is a ain reduced at 43, but is provided with a much longer threaded end 44, by means of which a multiplepiece rotor is secured to the shaft. In this construction the rotor comprises a supporting member-45,21. cover member 46 and an exchangeable insert-.41, which may be in the form of an abrasive ring. The latter is clamped between membars 45 and 46. The stator of this modified form is' also provided with an exchangeable abrasive element 48', lodged within the inverted dish-structure 49.

Attention is now invited to Figs. 4 and 5, and especially to the arrangement including the mill unit and its adjusting means. It will be observed that frame l4, within which the shaft coupling 2'! operates, serves as support for the entire upper structure of the mill devicefover Frame l4 also serves forattaching that structure, such as by bpltsjd.

The combination journaling and adjusting means ll include a hollow body 5| thebase I8 of whieh is secured by the aforesaid bolt 5|] to fram I4, Extending from body 5| are upper journaling hub 52 and lower journali ng hub 53, which latteris externally threaded. These journalin hubs serve as supports and journals for guide sleeve 22. It will be noted that 'up'per hub 5; is provided with an opening 54 in registry with openingiiS, provided in'guide sleeve 22, in order to facilitate thelubrication of shaft26 within the guidesleeve.

The lower threaded end of hub 53. is engaged by the internally threaded portion of adjustable bearing cup l8, in which'is lodged thrust ari g. Him.

by valve 4|.

V shaft 25 In the lower erid of cup there is provided at 55 a packingring adapted toiprevent the escape of lubricant passed through passage 55 into guide sleeve 22.

Th thrust bearin g 20.; supports shaft 26, while in guide sleeve 22 bearings 51 and 58 are provided to correctly journal shaft and its rotor in respectto the stator. Stator 29 is held in its correct'position by means of an inlay 59, secured by means of bolt 60' passing through flange3il of g uide sleeve 22. This insert not only holds stator 29 in position, but also provides a seal between the rotorand the stator, so that the material milled by the unit is discharged into an annular spaceindicated at 6|, from which it passesinto conduit 39.

The adjusting means for guide sleeve 22, whereby the stator may be positioned atthe desired distance from the rotor, are located within thehollow portion of enlarged body 5| secured to frame l4. The internal structure of body 5| provides two oppositely disposed paral lelly machined surfaces between which operates the hub of ring or nut' 24fThe outer faces of the ring hub are also machined, and the height of the hub substantially corresponds to the distance between the machined surfaces in body 5|, which surfaces form end abutments for the ring hub. Thus the ring is operatively held between these end abutments and can not move axially, whereby its movement is restricted to a purely rotary motion.

The ring hub is provided with an internal thread 62 which engages external thread 23 of sleeve 22. Extending from the ring hub is a web which supports an annular enlargement wherein a plurality of radial recesses 63 are provided to facilitate turning and adjustment of the ring in respect to casing 5|, which latter has a spare-out 54 in its otherwise closed, hollow body to provide access to recesses 63 and to allow rotation of the ring through a short arc.

The upper portion of the annular ring enlargement is beveled, and upon that beveled portion there is provideda calibrated strip 65. Secured to the upper ledge of spare-out '64 is an indicator 55 pointed toward the calibration on strip 65. At the top portion of the ring annulus there is provided a, plurality of recesses 61, seen clearly in Fig. 5, and serving for the reception of the reduced lower end of set or lock screw 25, operatively mounted in the upper ledge or cover portion of journaling body 5|.

By means of radial recesses 63 of the nut, the latter may be turned with relative ease, whereby an exact adjustment of the stator in respect to the rotor is facilitated. Indicator 66 denotes such adjustment on the scale or calibration 65, and

lock screw 25 screwed down into one of the recesses 5'! of the nut holds the latter against movement.

When it becomes evident from the product leaving themill, or for any other reason, that a readjustmentjof the mill unit is required, such new adjustment'may be easily and accurately made by simply elevating lock screws 25 above the'nut and: turning the latter to a desired mark of the calibration, whereupon screw 25, is again lowered into one of the recesses 61. The amount of adjustment may be usually determined for different types of work before the device is put into use, whereby the necessity of employing skilled manipulators is effectively overcome. It is merely necessary to give directions to what setting nut 24 is to be advanced after stated operating periods of the mill.

While the above described arrangement is primarily designed for adjusting the stationary element of the mill unit in respect to the rotor, the latter is rendered, adjustable also. Bearing cup H3 in thread engagement with lower journaling hub 53 accommodatesthrust bearingZil of rotor shaftZiS. By unscrewing or tightening cup H! in respect to hub 53, the shaft may be lowered or raised. One or more set screws 2| provided in cup I9 will keepthe latter in the desired adjusted position.

Although we have shown and described certain'specific constructions of our adjusting means for the'mill elements, it is obvious that changes and improvements may be incorporatedtherein, without departin from the broad scope of our invention, as defined inthe annexed claims.

We claim:

1. In a colloidal mill device, a frame, a motive source suspended from the frame, a mill structure supported by and removably secured to the frame, said jrnill structure including combination journali'rig and" adjusting means, said journaling means forming a hollow body, serving for attachment of the mill structure to the frame, with upper and lower guide hubs extending from the hollow body, a bearing cup adjustably associated with the lower guide hub and accommodating a thrust bearing, a mill shaft operative by said motive source journaled in said bearing, a guide sleeve for the shaft slidably mounted in said guide hubs; said adjusting means being operative within the hollow body of said journaling means and engagin said sleeve for adjusting the latter, a mill rotor associated with said mill shaft, said rotor being rendered adjustable in respect to said guide sleeve by way of said mill shaft through the adjustable bearing cup, a mill stator supported by said guide sleeve and being adjustable in respect to the mill rotor by way of the guide sleeve through said adjusting means in operative engagement with said guide sleeve, and means for arresting the movement of said adjusting means in the adjusted position.

2. In a colloidal mill device, as set forth in claim 1, said calibrated adjusting means comprising an internally threaded member operative between end abutments, thus restricting its operation to a rotary movement only, its internal thread engaging the externally threaded portion of said stator support, means provided with said member for facilitating its rotary operation, and a calibration arranged peripherally on said member for setting it. said arresting means comprising recesses in said member engageable by a lock screw to hold the member in its set position.

3. In a mechanism for adjusting elements of mill units in colloidal mill devices and the like,

an adjustable guide sleeve for journaling the shaft of the movable element of the mill unit, said guide sleeve serving as support of the stationary element of the mill unit, and means restricted to a purely rotary movement by fixed abutments, and being in operative engagement with said sleeve for adjusting the latter, and thus the stationary element, relative to the movable element, and means for setting said adjusting means, and other means for arresting said adjusting means in the set position.

4. In a colloidal mill device having an adjustable mill unit, a centrally apertured fixed support for the mill unit including an annular hollow, substantially closed body enlargement, a sleeve adjustably mounted in the apertured portion of the support and provided with a flange to which the mill stator is attached, a rotor shaft operative in said sleeve and being adjustable both in respect to said sleeve and to said support, means operative within said body enlargement for adjusting the sleeve, and thus the stator, in respect to the support and the rotor, means in said enlargement for restricting the movement of said adjusting means to a rotary operation only, and other meansoperative from without said enlargement for preventing the movement of said adjusting means.

EDWIN G. EPPENBACH. HENRY IMSHAUG. 

